TEHRAN: Iran and Oman has signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the fishing sector, Ali-Akbar Khodaei, secretary general of Iran’s Fisheries Production and Trading Union, said.
Iran’s fishery exports during the current Iranian fiscal year (started March 20) is expected to reach $450 million, he said, adding that the figure stood at $200 million in the first seven months of the year(March 20-Oct. 22). Last fiscal year Iran exported $412 million worth of fishery products, Khodaei said. He added that Iran has received the needed permissions from the EU to export sea foods including shrimps.
However, other agreement needs to be signed for export of aquaculture products, the official underlined. The country’s fishery output also stood at 460,000 tons in the last fiscal year (ended March 20). About 200,000 Iranians are active in about 70,000 aquaculture and fishing centers across Iran. Iran has the capacity to produce 1 million tons of fish in cages in the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, according to the country’s fishery officials.
